Maker Mondays – A Delicate World

Welcome to this wet and blustery, November Monday.  Today, we are pleased to introduce you to the North Shore of Prince Edward Island to meet Kathleen, and her shop A Delicate World.

Kathleen’s story begins with a serendipitous encounter with a red fox named Squinty.  This chance encounter led to a new-found love of photography, and in time led us to a wonderful shop filled with whimsical, nature-inspired jewellery.

Read on to learn more about Kathleens’ story.

Thanks for joining us, Kathleen.  Could you please give us a brief bio about you and an intro to your shop:

My name is Kathleen and my business is called A Delicate World. I’m a wildlife photographer and create nature themed jewelry from my original photography which I sell in my Etsy shop. I also create realistic needle felted wildlife sculptures. My main goal with A Delicate World is to promote an awareness and appreciation of nature, and to inspire people to take time to notice all the beauty that surrounds us.

I live on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, and I’m a full time student in addition to running my Etsy shop. I’ve always had a great love for animals and nature, and have been interested in photography since I was young. A Delicate World gave me the opportunity to combine several of my passions: nature, wildlife, photography, and creating! I come from a family of artists and photographers, so I like to say it’s “in my blood.”

Your photography story begins with a fox. Tell us more about this relationship.

Several years ago there were some fox kits raised near my home. During their first winter, as many as four of them would pass the time playing in the field behind my house. One fox was noticeably friendlier and more curious than the others and would approach me when I was photographing them. I nicknamed him Squinty because he had very narrow, oval eyes in comparison to the larger, round eyes of the other foxes. As time passed, and the foxes matured, most of them moved on. However, Squinty continued to visit for the next several years, always distinguishable by his narrow, oval eyes and trusting behaviour. He would often come to my yard just to sleep; I suppose he knew he was safe there. One of my fondest memories is when I was sitting on the lawn with my camera balanced on my knee, and Squinty approached and touched his nose to the end of my telephoto lens! Earning the trust of a wild animal is a humbling experience.

I felt a special bond with Squinty, which inspired me to share my photography with the world. I wanted to help others see just how special and beautiful wildlife is. When I look through my telephoto lens, and see their eyes gazing back at me, I’m often awed by how magnificent these creatures are. If my work can help people see animals as I see them, I think the world would understand how important it is to respect and preserve wildlife and their habitats.

Do the majority of your wildlife and nature encounters occur near your home on Prince Edward Island?

I’m fortunate enough to live in rural Prince Edward Island where the wildlife often comes to me! I’ve been able to photograph a surprisingly diverse amount of birds and animals in my own backyard or within walking distance. One of the more surprising encounters was an American Mink who took up residence in the woodpile for two days.

While your shop currently features mostly your photography pieces – made into stunning jewellery pieces – you also are a very skilled needle crafter. Tell us a bit about this side of your talent.

I actually started on Etsy as a needle felter under the name Kay’s K9s. I specialized in doing custom needle felted pet portrait sculptures. I enjoyed needle felting and was genuinely surprised by how much publicity I received. Unfortunately, the long hours of repetitive motion took a toll on me physically and it became necessary to transition to something else. I didn’t want to give up needle felting entirely, so I have plans to continue expanding my line of felted wildlife sculptures, however it will be at a rather slow pace.

With the holiday gift giving season approaching, if you were to find one of your own items in your stocking, which would you wish for it to be?

I’ve just started offering a larger sized necklace than has been available in the past, and I’m a big fan of them! The pendants are large enough that my photography is really eye-catching, and they look great with a sweater when combined with one of my 24″ chains.

Finally, outside of etsy, can we find your product anywhere else?

My work is currently exclusive to Etsy, with plans to also open a website in the near future.

Thank you so much, Kathleen.  Your work is beautiful and we look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

Be sure to check out A Delicate World on etsy and help support our local makers.

(submitted by Carol of stringmealong and ThisBorrowedMoment on etsy.)